Oct. 2 (EUROPA PRESS) –
Captain Ibrahim Traoré, leader of the coup perpetrated on Friday in Burkina Faso, has been designated “provisional head of state” of the African country, according to a statement from his military junta collected by Radio Omega.
Traoré assumes this position after accepting the conditions of his predecessor, fellow coup leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who had already resigned from his previous position as head of the country.
According to the statement, in the coming days or weeks a meeting of the active forces of the Nation will appoint a president to lead the transition process of the country suspended after the last coup.
The seven conditions set by Damiba included the continuation of operational activities against jihadism, security guarantees for his person, the effort of national reconciliation and respect for the commitments with the Economic Community of West African States with a view to a process of transition.
Sources consulted by the magazine ‘Jeune Afrique’ do not take it for granted that Traoré intends to hold a prominent position in the military leadership because “his desire is to continue fighting” on the side of the Burkinabe Army. Another of the names being considered is that of Colonel Emmanuel Zoungrana, arrested on January 10 precisely on suspicion of organizing a coup.
At the same time, Traoré announced the reopening of the national airspace, closed on Saturday, by order of the captain himself and leader of the so-called Patriotic Movement for Safeguarding and Restoration (MPSR).
